Operation Storm’s Eye
by E.S. Benton
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Technothriller
ISBN: 9781739251635
Print Length: 352 pages
Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski
A shadowy private militia force takes on a nameless foe capable of weaponizing weather in this adrenaline-soaked series opener.
Operation Storm’s Eye is the first book in what appears to be an exciting new series. When a private militia group suffers a devastating setback, they have to recover in time to thwart a rogue organization committing crimes in the wake of supposed natural disasters.
The six members of Alpha Team know about working in the shadows. Staying hidden and unknown are all part of a day’s work. But when their sister squad, Echo Team, does not come back from a top-secret op, they must overcome their shock to go after an enemy as shadowy and unseen as themselves. And with the ability to create catastrophic storms in the blink of an eye.
Alpha Team is the first squad—led by Scott, aka Alpha One—in their nameless organization that includes Bravo, Charlie, and Delta teams. Calling the shots above them is the sharply dressed and steely Frenchman, Bosse.
In an operation to retrieve data on the people behind Echo Team’s demise, Alpha Team picks up clues about a sinister sounding plan named “Operation Storm,” but before they can process this, they run into a wall of elite fighters known as the “Night Vipers.” Soon, another shadow force emerges to complicate matters further, known by the acronym MNGWA.
The race against time to find those responsible—and stop their use of a mysterious technology to create severe weather—takes Alpha and the other teams to the depths of the sea to Earth’s orbit, in pulse-pounding sequences Benton clearly delights in writing and hardcore action fans will welcome. Some scenarios are implausible, and suspension of disbelief is required, but readers will thrill to the author’s inventiveness with weapons and gadgetry, no less fun for not existing in real life.
Benton’s scenes are often cinematic in scope, as when Alpha One stares down from space at the coming storms on the blue planet: “He could see clouds begin to form down on Earth, covering what was below, like a huge, darkening blanket.”
And he packs a veritable action picnic into 348 pages: futuristic technology, a 200-year-old man known as The Vesper, sinister medical experiments, killer robots, space stations, bullet-proof bubble spacesuits, to name a few. Action is the name of the game in Operation Storm’s Eye. Alpha Team really knows how to fight:
“They never planned for if a mission went sideways, they didn’t need to. Our minds don’t need the memory during high adrenaline moments, they need instinct, and it was instinct that would get them through it…”
Benton succeeds at translating those “high adrenaline moments” into well-crafted battle set pieces and excels with hand-to-combat depictions. The action is on point and skillfully told.
Sometimes though, I wanted more from the character development. Benton provides backstory hints and some detail, but they can be sparse and sometimes superficial in nature like descriptions of hair length, eye colors, and head shapes. I just wished I got to know these enigmatic and skilled warriors more intimately. Still, the sequel is incoming and we may get more soon.
This bookis a promising start to what looks to be an exciting, action-packed series full of visionary scenarios and techno-thrills.
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